May Day vandal sentenced

Updated 3:20 pm, Wednesday, June 13, 2012

A May Day demonstrator accused of vandalizing a federal courthouse in downtown Seattle was sentenced Wednesday to time served.

Arrested two days after the riotous May 1 demonstrations, Cody Ingram was accused of damaging the doors of the William Kenzo Nakamura U.S. Courthouse at 1010 Fifth Ave.

Ingram, a 23-year-old homeless man, traveled to Seattle to visit friends and participate in the May Day demonstrations, which saw windows broken and police attacked by black-clad protestors.

According to investigators, Ingram said he travelled across the country with his dog to participate in the May Day demonstration. He went on to say he left his dog with two people he knew only as "Scarecrow" and "Wolf" prior to the protest.

Writing the court, an FBI special agent said Ingram described himself as anti-government and said the government needs to be replaced. He claimed not to have known the building was a federal courthouse.

Defense attorney Dennis Carroll described Ingram as a homeless young man struggling with mental illness.

Raised in New Hampshire and Vermont, Ingram has been homeless since age 18, Carroll told the court. Following his arrest, Ingram reconciled with family and plans to return home and find a job.

Carroll said his client regrets participating in the May Day demonstration.

"He has expressed regret and frustration with himself, declaring that his actions were 'stupid,'" Carroll told the court. "He apologized for his 'stupid and dangerous actions,' recognizing that he 'abused his right to protest and put innocent people in danger.'"

Through his attorney, Ingram denied membership in a "well-organized group of anarchists" with plans of vandalism. Carroll noted his client wasn't masked during the demonstration, making it easy for police to identify him.

"As he reports, he got caught up in the excitement and chaos of the event, and followed the lead of others," Carroll told the court.

Ingram, it seems, remained at the courthouse after a group of "black bloc" anarchists left the area. He was ultimately chased away by three "superheroes" out to confront protestors.

Having pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge, Ingram faced up to two months in federal detention. Such a sentence was requested by prosecutors and would have kept him jailed through early July; U.S. District Judge James Donohue instead sentenced Ingram to time served and $500 in restitution.